What Is COVID-19?
A coronavirus may be a quite common virus that causes an infection in your nose, sinuses, or upper throat. Most coronaviruses aren’t dangerous.
In early 2020, after a December 2019 outbreak in China, the World Health Organization identified SARS-CoV-2 as a new coronavirus. The outbreak quickly spread round the world.
COVID-19 disease is caused by SARS-CoV-2 which will trigger what doctors call a respiratory tract infection. It can affect your upper respiratory tract (sinuses, nose, and throat) or lower respiratory tract (windpipe and lungs).
It spreads an equivalent way other coronaviruses do, mainly through person-to-person contact. Infections range from mild to deadly.
SARS-CoV-2 is one among seven sorts of coronavirus, including those that cause severe diseases like Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) and sudden acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). Other coronaviruses cause most of the colds that affect us during the year but aren’t a significant threat for otherwise healthy people.
Is there quite one strain of SARS-CoV-2?
It’s normal for an epidemic to vary , or mutate, because it infects people. A Chinese study of 103 COVID-19 cases suggests the virus that causes it’s done just that. They found two strains, which they named L and S. The S type is older, but the L type was more common in early stages of the outbreak. They think one may cause more cases of the disease than the opposite , but they’re still performing on what it all means.
How long will the coronavirus last?
It’s too soon to inform how long the pandemic will continue. It depends on many things, including researchers’ work to find out more about the virus, their look for a treatment and a vaccine, and therefore the public’s efforts to slow the spread.
More than 100 vaccine candidates are in various stages of development and testing. This process usually takes years. Researchers are speeding it up the maximum amount as they will , but it still might take 12 to 18 months to seek out a vaccine that works and is safe.
Symptoms of COVID-19
The main symptoms include:
- Fever
- Coughing
- Shortness of breath
- Trouble breathing
- Fatigue
- Chills, sometimes with shaking
- Body aches
- Headache
- Sore throat
- Loss of smell or taste
- Nausea
- Diarrhea
The virus can cause pneumonia, respiratory failure, septic shock, and death. Many COVID-19 complications could also be caused by a condition referred to as cytokine release syndrome or a cytokine storm. this is often when an infection triggers your immune system to flood your bloodstream with inflammatory proteins called cytokines. they will kill tissue and damage your organs.
If you notice the subsequent severe symptoms in yourself or a beloved , get medical help right away:
- Trouble breathing or shortness of breath
- Ongoing chest pain or pressure
- New confusion
- Can’t wake up fully
- Bluish lips or face
Strokes have also been reported in some people who have COVID-19. Remember FAST:
- Face. Is one side of the person’s face numb or drooping? Is their smile lopsided?
- Arms. Is one arm weak or numb? If they try to raise both arms, does one arm sag?
- Speech. Can they speak clearly? Ask them to repeat a sentence.
- Time. Every minute counts when someone shows signs of a stroke. Call 911 right away.
If you’re infected, symptoms can show up in as few as 2 days or as many as 14. It varies from person to person.According to researchers in China, these were the foremost common symptoms among people that had COVID-19:
- Fever 99%
- Fatigue 70%
- Cough 59%
- Lack of appetite 40%
- Body aches 35%
- Shortness of breath 31%
- Mucus/phlegm 27%
Some people that are hospitalized for COVID-19 have even have dangerous blood clots, including in their legs, lungs, and arteries.
What to try to to if you think that you’ve got it If you reside in or have traveled to a neighborhood where COVID-19 is spreading:
If you don’t feel well, stay home. albeit you’ve got mild symptoms sort of a headache and runny nose, stay in until you’re better. This lets doctors specialise in people that are more seriously ill and protects health care workers and other people you would possibly meet along the way. you would possibly hear this called self-quarantine. attempt to stay during a separate room faraway from people in your home. Use a separate bathroom if you’ll .
Call the doctor if you’ve got trouble breathing. you would like to urge medical help as soon as possible. Calling ahead (rather than showing up) will let the doctor direct you to the right place, which can not be your doctor’s office. If you don’t have a daily doctor, call your local board of health. they will tell you where to travel for testing and treatment.
Follow your doctor’s advice and continue with the news on COVID-19. Between your doctor and health care authorities, you’ll get the care you would like and knowledge on the way to prevent the virus from spreading.
For more information about COVID-19, see our FAQ.
How do I know if it’s COVID-19, a cold, or the flu?
Symptoms of COVID-19 are often almost like a nasty cold or the flu. Your doctor will suspect COVID-19 if:
You have a fever and a cough.
You live in a neighborhood with the virus or have traveled to places where it’s spread.
| Cold vs. Flu vs.
Allergies vs. COVID-19 |
||||
| Symptoms | Cold | Flu | Allergies | COVID-19
(can range from moderate to severe) |
| Fever | Rare | High (100-102 F), Can last 3-4 days | Never | Common |
| Headache | Rare | Intense | Uncommon | Can be present |
| General aches, pains | Slight | Usual, often severe | Never | Can be present |
| Fatigue, weakness | Mild | Intense, can last up to 2-3 weeks | Sometimes | Can be present |
| Extreme exhaustion | Never | Usual (starts early) | Never | Can be present |
| Stuffy/runny nose | Common | Sometimes | Common | Has been reported |
| Sneezing | Usual | Sometimes | Usual | Has been reported |
| Sore throat | Common | Common | Sometimes | Has been reported |
| Cough | Mild to moderate | Common, can become severe | Sometimes | Common |
| Shortness of breath | Rare | Rare | Rare, except for those with allergic asthma | In more serious infections |
| Loss of smell and taste | Sometimes | Sometimes | Never | Has been reported |
| Diarrhea | Never | Sometimes in children | Never | Has been reported |
COVID-19 SYMPTOM CHECKER
Find Out if You Have Symptoms of Coronavirus (COVID-19)
See what to try to to about your symptoms and whether to call a doctor
Is COVID-19 worse than the flu?
Unlike the flu, tons of individuals aren’t resistant to the coronavirus because it’s so new. If you are doing catch it, the virus triggers your body to form things called antibodies. Researchers are watching whether or not they offer you protection against catching it again.
The coronavirus also appears to cause higher rates of severe illness and death than the flu. But the symptoms themselves can vary widely from person to person.
Is COVID-19 seasonal just like the flu?
A few lab studies have found that higher temperatures and humidity levels might help slow the spread of the coronavirus. But experts advise caution and say weather changes won’t matter without thorough public health efforts. Also, past flu pandemics have happened year-round.
Causes of the New Coronavirus
Researchers aren’t sure what caused it. There’s quite one sort of coronavirus. They’re common in people and in animals including bats, camels, cats, and cattle. SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, is analogous to MERS and SARS. all of them came from bats.
Coronavirus Risk Factors
Anyone can get COVID-19, and most infections are mild. The older you’re , the upper your risk of severe illness.
You also a have higher chance of great illness if you’ve got one among these health conditions:
- Chronic kidney disease
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
- A weakened immune system due to an transplant
- Obesity
- Serious heart conditions like heart failure or arteria coronaria disease
- Sickle cell disease
- Type 2 diabetes
Conditions that would cause severe COVID-19 illness include:
- Moderate to severe asthma
- Diseases that affect your blood vessels and blood flow to your brain
- Cystic fibrosis
- High blood pressure
- A weakened immune system due to a blood or bone marrow transplant, HIV, or medications like corticosteroids
- Dementia
- Liver disease
- Pregnancy
- Damaged or scarred lung tissue (pulmonary fibrosis)
- Smoking
- Thalassemia
- Type 1 diabetes
Some children and teenagers who are within the hospital with COVID-19 have an inflammatory condition that doctors are calling multi system inflammatory syndrome in children. Doctors think it’s going to be linked to the virus. It causes symptoms almost like those of toxic shock syndrome and of Kawasaki disease , a condition that causes inflammation in kids’ blood vessels.
Take consultation from the expert Pulmonologists in Chandigarh if you see any symptoms mentioned in the blog. Stay Safe ! Stay Healthy!